Buist Academy, 103 Calhoun St.: third through eighth grade, 521 students in 2024-25, rated Excellent on the state report card.
Last checked Oct. 16, 2026. Sources: the school’s website; the school’s administration page; Charleston County School District’s school lookup tool, 2026-27 academic calendar and 2026-27 bell schedule; the S.C. Department of Education’s 2024-25 report card data files; the federal NCES school directory.
Buist Academy for Advanced Studies is a Charleston County School District magnet school on Calhoun Street downtown. Its website says it has been “an authorized Primary Years Programme IB World School since February 2007” and is “a certified Middle Years Programme.” On South Carolina’s 2024-25 report card it was rated Excellent for its middle grades, with 78 points, and Excellent for its elementary grades, with 77 points.
Who to call
- Front office: 843-724-7750, 103 Calhoun St.
- School website: buist.ccsdschools.com
- Applying: the district’s School Choice application; School Choice office 843-937-6582
- Enrolling a new student: register at the zoned school; the district lists what to bring on its required documents page. District office: 843-937-6300
- Which school is my address zoned for? the district’s school lookup tool
- Buses: the district’s transportation page, with its 2026-27 bus stop locator
| Address | 103 Calhoun St., Charleston, SC 29401 |
| Phone | 843-724-7750 |
| Grades | 3 to 8 |
| District | Charleston County School District |
| School hours | 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. |
| State school ID | 1001094 |
Principal
Interim Principal Marvin Conyers, who signs the welcome letter on the school’s administration page.
Enrollment and teachers
- State count: 521 students in the 2024-25 school year, according to the state’s report card data.
- Federal count: 537 students in the 2023-24 school year, with 34 full-time-equivalent teachers, according to the NCES directory. That is about 16 students per teacher.
State report card
South Carolina rates every public school each year as Excellent, Good, Average, Below Average or Unsatisfactory. An Excellent rating means “school performance substantially exceeds the criteria to ensure all students meet the Profile of the SC Graduate,” according to the state’s report card site. The overall rating is built from indicators such as academic achievement, preparing for success, student progress, English learners’ progress and school climate, with graduation rate and college and career readiness added for high schools.
2024-25 rating for middle grades: Excellent, 78 points. On the state’s middle school scale, Excellent 56 to 100, Good 48 to 55, Average 36 to 47, Below Average 29 to 35 and Unsatisfactory 28 and below.
| Indicator | 2024-25 rating |
|---|---|
| Academic achievement | Excellent |
| Preparing for success | Excellent |
| Student progress | Excellent |
| School climate | Excellent |
On the spring 2025 SC READY tests in grades 6 to 8, 98.6% of students met or exceeded expectations in English language arts and 90% in math; on the state science test, 99% did, according to the state’s report card data.
2024-25 rating for elementary grades: Excellent, 77 points. On the state’s elementary scale, Excellent 61 to 100, Good 53 to 60, Average 42 to 52, Below Average 34 to 41 and Unsatisfactory 33 and below.
| Indicator | 2024-25 rating |
|---|---|
| Academic achievement | Excellent |
| Preparing for success | Excellent |
| Student progress | Good |
| School climate | Good |
On the spring 2025 SC READY tests in grades 3 to 5, 99.6% of students met or exceeded expectations in English language arts and 98.7% in math; on the state science test, 100% did, according to the state’s report card data.
Across Charleston County School District, in grades 3 to 8, the figures were 67.6% in English, 56.2% in math and 57.2% in science.
The full report cards, with test results by group, teacher data, school safety and spending, are on the state’s SC School Report Cards site: middle grades card and elementary grades card. The state publishes new ratings each fall.
Admission and zone
Check an address with the district’s school lookup tool, which the district links from its lookup page.
Buist has no attendance zone. It is one of the district’s schools and programs that require an application; for 2026-27 the School Choice window ran Jan. 7 to Feb. 12, 2026. The district offers magnet-school transportation from centralized bus stops.
Calendar and school hours
Buist Academy follows Charleston County School District’s 2026-27 calendar. Coming dates from the academic calendar (PDF):
- Tuesday, Nov. 3: Election Day, schools closed
- Nov. 23-24: no school; both are weather make-up days if the district needs them
- Nov. 25-27: fall break
- Friday, Dec. 18: half day
- Dec. 21 to Jan. 1: winter break; students return Tuesday, Jan. 5
School hours: 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., with arrival from 7:35 a.m., according to the district’s 2026-27 bell schedule (PDF). Early-release days end at 1 p.m. and half days at 11:15 a.m.
More
- The district’s elementary schools page
- Every public school in Charleston, with zones and report cards
- Our Charleston schools guide for the district calendars, enrollment and the school board
Frequently asked questions
What grades does Buist Academy serve?
Buist Academy serves third through eighth grade, according to the state’s 2024-25 report card.
What is Buist Academy’s school rating?
Buist Academy was rated Excellent for its middle grades, with 78 points, and Excellent for its elementary grades, with 77 points, on South Carolina’s 2024-25 school report card, the latest the state has published.
How do you get into Buist Academy?
Buist has no attendance zone; it is one of the district’s schools that require an application. For 2026-27 the School Choice window ran Jan. 7 to Feb. 12, 2026.
What time does Buist Academy start?
The school day runs 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., with arrival from 7:35 a.m., according to the district’s 2026-27 bell schedule.
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